History of Hotel Murillo's palanquin

 

In response to many guests asking us about the history of furniture and other decorative elements at Hotel Murillo, we will be publishing a series of posts on our blog and social networks explaining a little history and other anecdotes related to the hotel's decoration.

 

Palanquin made from wood and painted leather. The history of this object dates back to the 60s when Hotel Murillo was about to be opened (1965). One morning, the owner of the hotel, Manual Adarve González, along with his carpentry assistant, Luís, had an appointment with the administrator of Casa Pilatos. Visiting this palatial home, his attention was caught by a palanquin in one of the rooms. Having fallen in love with the piece, the memory stayed with Manual. The next morning, he made a sketch of the palanquin and set about making a replica with his own personal touches so it would serve as the telephone box at the hotel.

 

After several months of carpentry work and painted leather, the palanquin with its public telephone was installed in the hotel lobby and it was a huge success and highly popular among the people staying at the hotel at the time. Sadly, following its deterioration with use it became nothing more than a decorative piece. The palanquin was simply the result of an observation of the hotel owner. Despite never taking exact measurements, the replica was almost perfect, being only a couple of centimetres out.